Sage Apothecary finally overwhelmed his Senior Brother in terms of healing and saving lives, and he felt proud. Although, it was his apprentice who healed and saved Chu Muhua, while he merely lent a hand. His apprentice was capable, and he also had the capital to be proud.
”It’s not just the skin and flesh, the tendons too. As long as they are stitched well, they can be restored to their original state.” Sage Apothecary remembered the boy from the hunter’s family in Qingshan Village, and his beard curled up proudly. “There was once a boy half as tall as an adult whose hamstrings were cut by a hunting fork. My disciple… ahem, I took my disciple to suture him, and now he is walking normally. After a few days, he was no different from ordinary people.”
Hearing this, Chu Muhua stood up and bowed deeply to him. He said excitedly, “Mister Sage Apothecary, this suturing technique is very important for the wounded soldiers on the battlefield! If you are willing to pass on this divine technique to our military doctors, no matter what you ask for, we will try our best to do it for you. Most soldiers thought they were crippled when their hamstrings and tendons were injured on the battlefield. Hence, when they went home, they became incapacitated and despondent; because the wounds were too deep and big and easily cracked, it caused many brothers repeated injuries, and countless even died of infection. I couldn’t count the number of wounded soldiers who died of excessive bleeding… They were not lucky enough to have met doctors who could transfuse blood and suture wounds.”
”Uh … This …” Sage Apothecary was a bit dumbfounded. Hua Tuo’s divine skills were his disciple’s unique profound learning. Generally, such a peerless medical skill could not be passed outside. After stuttering for a long time, he made up an excuse and said, “The hermit who taught me this peerless skill didn’t say whether it could be passed on to others. I will give you an answer on this matter after I have written and asked about it, Major General.”
Chu Muhua had calmed down at this point. Although Sage Apothecary didn’t give him an accurate answer, it was better than rejecting him. At least there was a glimmer of hope! However, he also knew that this hope was slim, because such a peerless medical technique was generally a secret that was not passed on.
”Hu’er, let’s not talk about official business today. Here, let’s drink!” Jun Yonglun noticed the awkward air and quickly stepped forward to smooth things out. “Medical Sage, Sage Apothecary, Hua’er can’t drink. As his uncle, I’ll give you a toast for him. Thank you for your tireless rush to Junlang Pass to save my nephew’s life.”
Medical Sage raised his glass and said, “It’s a coincidence. I paid an old friend who has been away for a long time in an unknown town in the Northland. When I heard that the Major General was seriously injured, we rushed over. Speaking of hard work, it’s my Junior Brother who arrived at Junlang Pass in only three days from Cangmang Mountain. His old bones are quite tough, he actually withstood such an arduous journey!”
Sage Apothecary misspoke just now, so he didn’t dare to swear at this time. He downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, and just immersed himself in eating.
Chu Muhua held up the jug, poured a glass of wine for him and said sincerely, “Please excuse my insolence. I’m sorry for troubling you, Mister Sage Apothecary. You saved my life and almost lost your apprentice. Please let me use tea instead of wine to express my sincere thanks and deep apologies to you. I’ll drink this toast first[1],” after speaking, he drank the cup of tea in one go.
Sage Apothecary drank his glass of wine with dignity, and said, “You don’t need to blame yourself, Major General. My Senior Brother said that my apprentice’s illness accumulated from childhood. It was a good thing that she got sick earlier. Now, all the hidden dangers in her body have been eliminated, and after a while, she will be as healthy as the average person.”
Medical Sage looked at him puzzled and asked, “Junior Brother, what’s so special about that little girl that you treat her differently and accepted her as your last disciple?”
Special features? She’s got an abundance of them; Hua Tuo’s divine techniques, anesthesia sprays, and some pharmaceutical methods that were so subtle that even he himself couldn’t feel.
He suspected more than once that his little apprentice was the reincarnation of the God of Medicine with past memories intact!
”My apprentice’s talent for pharmacy is superior.” Sage Apothecary drank another glass of wine and ate some dishes before continuing, “How long did it take for your precious apprentice Xiao Baili to reach the standard of a pharmacist?”
Speaking of his proud disciple, Medical Sage showed a satisfied smile: “Half a year! It only took half a year for Baili to take the pharmacist exam, and he passed the exam in one try!”
”Hahaha! Do you see how smug you look? What’s there to be proud of?” If Sage Apothecary didn’t fight him, he would feel uncomfortable. “I tell you, my disciple has only learned from me for more than a month, but she surpassed the standard of a pharmacist!”
”Impossible! Are you sure she doesn’t have any previous foundation in concocting herbs?” Medical Sage naturally didn’t believe him. In less than two months, she produced high-grade purified medicine, unless she was genius among geniuses!
Sage Apothecary replied with certainty, “I’m sure she doesn’t have any foundation!”
He was once surprised. What kind of master would skip the basics and teach his disciple top-level medical and pharmaceutical methods? Could it be that… the person who taught her Hua Tuo’s divine techniques and medicine concoction was seriously injured and was dying, so to prevent the techniques from being lost, he forced her to memorize them?
”Also, she is also very talented in the art of healing. She is the most promising person to master both medical care and drugs like her master.” Medical Sage and Sage Apothecary were highly accomplished in the medical and pharmaceutical arts. However, they were low-key and lived in seclusion. Their reputation was inferior to that of their disciples.
Medical and pharmaceutical had always been complementary to each other, and only when both aspects had achieved certain attainments could they be brought into full play. Medical Sage and Sage Apothecary have only reached a height that the world couldn’t reach in a certain field, but even if they joined forces, they could never reach the highest halls. Only with medical care and drugs in hand could they truly reach the realm between life and death.
”If… she really has such potential as you say, Junior brother, I will lend her my handbook of practicing medicine.” Medical Sage’s medical handbook was the culmination of more than 50 years of his efforts, which contained records of thousands of difficult and miscellaneous diseases. It could be regarded as the most precious treasure of the medical community. With this handbook, learning medical skills would yield twofold results with half the effort.
